IICRC S600 release

VANCOUVER, WA – The IICRC announced today that the organization has filed the proper notification with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and will begin drafting the S600 Carpet Installation Standard and Reference Guide.

The new standard is being sponsored by the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) and the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI). The IICRC S600 Consensus Body Standard Committee will be chaired by James Mullins of Shaw Industries, and Barry Costa of Aspire Educational Institute will serve as the vice-chair for the committee.

“Having WFCA and CRI involved in the creation of the standard is an example of how our industry works together to achieve the best result. We know that with their involvement, we will be able to create a standard for carpet installation that will be accepted across the industry,” said IICRC Chairman Paul Pearce. “And, with industry veterans James Mullins and Barry Costa leading the committee, we know that the process will be upheld to the highest standards.”

“The WFCA has enthusiastically agreed to fund half the cost for IICRC to develop ANSI Standards for Carpet Installation (S600) because we firmly believe it is an investment in the future for our customers and the entire flooring industry,” said D. Christopher Davis, president and CEO of the WFCA. “We see the value in and have a history in partnering with other sectors of the flooring industry to accomplish mutual goals.”

"CRI has a long and proud history of providing leadership in the arena of installation standards and felt like it was important to bring all the stake holders to the same table to provide the most credible document possible,” said Werner Braun, president of CRI. “The end result through this ANSI process will once again provide the template for other industries to follow. We are thrilled to have the IICRC leading this process and with the leadership in place to drive it."

The IICRC is now looking for industry volunteers to participate on the committee. The timeline for completion of the S600 is approximately 36 months, and the committee will meet approximately four times per year. However, sub-committees continually work online and via conference calls. There will be between 15 and 20 members on the voting committee of the S600 Consensus Body Standard Committee and more than 35 volunteers assigned to specific sub-committees and topics.

“We’re looking for professionals who are dedicated to moving this document forward,” said James Mullins, IICRC S600 Consensus Body chair. “With each new standard comes new challenges and we need a group of people that are excited about this standard.”

Membership in the IICRC S600 Consensus Body Standard Committee is open to all persons who are directly and materially affected by the standard activity in question. Participation in the committee is not conditional upon membership in any organizations, nor unreasonably restricted on the basis of technical qualifications or other such requirements. Committee membership applications will be reviewed by the committee chairs and people selected to participate will be notified by August 15, 2009. Not everyone that applies will become a consensus body voting member.